Renen Raz, a prominent Israeli activist known as a defender and advocate for the rights of Palestinians and promoter of the BDS movement, died at the age of 28 over the weekend.

His friends say he suffered from brain cancer.

Within the close circle of Israeli and Palestinian activists who regularly protest the occupation together Raz was a beloved figure. Many knew him as a staple in the weekly demonstrations in the West Bank and a regular participant in the protests in the hamlet of Nabi Saleh.